By Brian Goggin (Elections Committee, Community Engagement Committee) • November 26, 2019
In a shift from original plans, the DC Council approved a $3.1 million annual rental subsidy for a new 100-unit permanent supportive housing project, known as Hill East Phase I, on Tuesday, November 19. The Council’s original plans, voted on in 2017, consisted of a 91-unit building with 75 committed affordable, but not necessarily permanent supportive housing (PSH), units.
By David Alpert (Executive Director) • November 26, 2019
Our amazing editor, Julie Strupp, is moving on from Greater Greater Washington at the end of December. We’re looking for another terrific person to run this publication, edit articles, manage our full-time Editor & Correspondent, hire and mentor our paid correspondents and fellows, and think about how to make Greater Greater Washington the greatest it can be. Is that you or someone you know?
By Stephen Hudson (Contributor) • November 26, 2019
Following the success of the Open Streets event on Georgia Avenue NW this past October, the District is creating some new pilot pedestrian zones and parklets in Georgetown and downtown.
As many people travel to see family for Thanksgiving this week, public transit will take a lot of us where we need to go, and it will briefly let us share our lives with each other. (Lev Kushner / CityLab)
Arlington County and Amazon negotiated a density bonus where the tech company will get to add 585,000 square feet of office space to its campus, and the county will get $20 million for affordable housing. The payment is expected to be able to fund 235 affordable units. (Daniella Cheslow / WAMU)
The city will subsidize eight Lyft rides a month for a flat $2.50 fare for residents in food deserts to buy groceries. One quarter of Baltimore residents don’t have easy access to a grocery store, and the city is hoping this pilot, which runs through April, will help residents right away. (Talia Richman / Post)
The state offered a $3 million historic tax credit for the Penn Station redevelopment project. The funds would help provide crucial funding to the first phase of the project, renovating the main building and adding retail and offices on the upper floors of the building. (Meredith Cohn / Baltimore Sun. Tip: Alex Holt)
Alexandria is worried that the city will lose money for multimodal projects as Virginia introduces new funding criteria that prefer projects for areas growing in density to already dense ones. The new state metrics also completely leave out biking and bike safety. (Vernon Miles / ALX Now)
Trained volunteers are now out in DC inspecting buildings for code violations and illegal construction as part of a DCRA pilot program. Over 600 people signed up to volunteer, but only about a tenth have been fully trained as of two weeks ago. (Nena Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
Evans said he will not appear before the Council committee investigating his ethics violations, saying that he had testified at a Council inquiry already. Evans and his lawyers also say that he should not be kicked off the Council, because it is the voters who should decide if he stays in office. (Martin Austermuhle / WAMU)
Amtrak Police at Union Station are using TSA equipment that can remotely scan passengers for concealed weapons as they walk to their gate. The Metro Board voted to borrow the scanners to test out at Metro stations. (Max Smith / WTOP)
Four artists who have created paintings and sculptures for the Columbia Heights, Glenmont, and Anacostia Metro stations explain the meaning behind their artwork and their connection to the Washington region. (Jennifer Anne Mitchell / City Paper)
